Mechanism for aligning the edges of sheet material



J. H. 'RQY Jan. 7, 1941 MECHANXSM PoR ALIGNING 'THE EDGEs oF SHEET MATERIAL l Filed Dec. 29. 1944 2 sheets-sneer 1 INVENTOR 'JOSEPH H. Ro Y.

Jan. 7, J. H. ROY I V MECHANISM FOR.ALIGNING` THE` EDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Shet 2 ||||||.||l yIII QW@ i y aus l N Patented Jan. 7, 194'? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR ALIGNING THE EDGES OF SHEET MATERIAL Joseph H. Roy, Trenton, N. J.

Application December 29, 1944, Serial No. 570,446

21 Claims. l

My invention relates to mechanism for aligning the edges of material and particularly to mechanism for use with tacking machines Whereby the edges of fabric may be accurately posi tioned during the tacking operation.

In the manufacture of various textiles, such as worsted fabrics for example, the cloth is folded so as to protect the face thereof during Washing and other operations. At such times the edges of the cloth are tacked together by stitching which is subsequently removed when the fabric has been treated. However, the edges of the fabric are not always in alignment as they pass from the folding machine to the tacker and at such times it is necessary for an operator to shift and guide the edges as they pass to the tacking machine. It is also usual to secure successive lengths of the cloth together at their ends so that they pass continuously through the machines. However, the overlapping or folded ends of the cloth would present too thick a body of material for tacking and therefore the operator has to hold these overlapping portions away from the tacker as they pass that machine.

The speed at which the fabric passes to the tacker is limited largely by the skill and speed with which the operator can handle the cloth so as to perform these operations. A speed of l to 2O yards per minute is considered fast work Whereas the tacking machines and other mechanism are capable of operation at much higher speeds.

In accordance with my invention the operations of aligning'the edges of the fabric passing to a tacker and the displacing of the overlapping ends of successive lengths of the cloth may be carried at a very high speed and the speed of the entire operation of aligning and tacking `the material may be carried out much more rapidly than heretofore. v

One of the objects of my invention is to provide novel means for aligning the edges of the material. i Another object of my invention is to provide means which are operable `at high speed for insuring proper alignment of the edges of fabric passing to a tacker. Y

A further object of my invention is to provide means for shifting the material being tacked so as to prevent overlapping end portions of successive lengths of material from passing to the tacker.

These and other objects and features of my invention will appear fromthe" following description thereof in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top` plan View of a typical machine embodying my invention with parts of the construction broken away. l

Fig. 2 is a side view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end View of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of a preferred form of gripping means embodied in the construction of Figs. 1 to 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side View of a portion of the construction illustrated in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of those elements of the construction illustrated in Fig. 6.

In that form of my invention chosen for purposes of illustration in the figures of the drawings, the fabric which is to have its edges brought into alignmentiand tacked is passed from a folder (not shown) to the tacker 2 through mechanism embodying the present invention. The fabric is moved from the right to the left as seen `in Figs. l and 2 and may be pulled through the mechanism or otherwise advanced by means not shown.

The edge of the upper layer of the folded cloth is indicated by the line 4 and is engaged by gripping members 6 which as shown are in the form of pins 8 carried by a chain in which is l movable longitudinally of the upper section l2 of the device. The-edge of the lower layer of the folded cloth is indicated by the line I4 and is engaged by similar grippingmembers I6 carried by a chain I8 movable longitudinally of the lower section 2D of the device.

The upper and lower sections of the device are similar and each embodies a stationary portion located adjacent the tacker 2 and a movable portion or arm which is pivotally connected to the stationary portion. The stationary portion of the upper section l2 is shown at 22 and the arm of this section is shown at 24, being pivotally connected to the stationary portion by the hinge 25. The stationary portion of the lower section is shown at 28, the lower arm is shown at 3ft and the hinge 32 which connects the portions of the lower section is located in alignment with the hinge 26 connecting the portions of the upper section.

With this construction the free ends of the arms 24 and 30 are independently movable to follow the edges of the upper and lower layers of the folded cloth even though the edges are displaced a considerable distance. On the other hand, the hinges 28 and 32 are in alignment and the stationary portions of the sections are secured together in fixed positions adjacent the tacker with their edges parallel so that the chains and gripping members in traveling from the free ends of the arms toward the stationary portions are moved into parallel relation. The grippers thus serve to draw the edges of the cloth into alignment so that they will pass to the tacker in the proper position to be tacked together.`

The chains l@ and I8 pass about sprockets 34 at the free ends of the arms 2li and :wand pass about sprockets 38 at the opposite ends of the stationary portion of each section. The chains are guided in their movement lengthwise of the arms and stationary portions by means of guide strips 38 and tu which are located respectively on the inside and outside of the chains. |The pins 8 and I6 which constitute the gripping members in the construction illustrated are carred by plates 42 secured to the links of the chains and project outward from the chains beneath the edges of the outer guide strips s3. The chains and the pin carrying plates i2 are supported vertically by the projecting edge @EL of the lower members 46 of each section.

The chains are permitted to yield longitudinally upon movement of the arms about the hinges 26 and 32 by means of springs 8 which urge the sprockets to the left as seen in Fig. 2 so as to hold the chains reasonably taut while permitting limited movement of the sprockets. For this purpose one end of each spring A8 bears against a washer 50 on the inner end of a bolt 52 carried by the spacing member 541 on the end of the stationary portion of the section. The opposite end of the spring presses against the U-shaped member 5e connected to the shaft 53 about which the sprocket rotates. The shafts .58.for each sprocket are independently movable and extend through slots 69 in the upper members 62. and lower members 46 of each stationary section so as to hold the shafts vertical and keep the sprockets in proper position to receive and guide the chains.

The device described is mounted on a suitable support such as that shown at 6G which may also be the support for the tacker 2 or other elements of the combination. Reversible motors Se and E3 are mounted on the supporter@ and drive threaded shafts fil and 12 which are connected to the free ends of the arms 2 and by means of the internally threaded yokes lll. The yokes are rotatable with respect to the arms by which they are carried and are slidable longitudinally of the arms so that the arms may move in an arc about the hinges 2% and 32 on rotation of theV threaded shafts lll and l2. For this purpose the yokes are rotatably mounted on plates E6 which in turn are slidably movable along tracks i8 carried by the arms 24 and 3E) and extending longitudinally thereof. The shaft li) and the yoke 'ill on arm 211l are located above the arm and above the upper layer il of the folded cloth whereas the shaft 'l2 and the yoke M on arm 3Q are located below the lower layer i4 of the cloth.

Rotation of the shafts 'l and 'i2 in'one direction serves to move the arms 24 and 3u in one direction whereas rotation of the shafts in the opposite direction will move thearms in the opposite direction. Each arm and shaft preferably is moved independently so that it will follow the edge of the cloth to cause it to be properly gripped and such movement is controlled by the control means 18 and 8! secured to the outer ends of the arms 2li and 3Q and operable to cause the motors 65 and 68 to be driven in forward and reverse directions.

The control means '58 and 65 are each provided with an upwardly projecting finger 82 which is yieldably urged against the edge of the cloth by a light spring Elli. The cloth passes over the upper face 36 of the control means and beneath a weighted plate 88 which holds the cloth down and guides it during its movement over the face 8f3 and past the finger 82. The finger 82 is pivotally mounted at 90 and movable in opposite directions from the central position shown into engagement with contact plates S2 and 94 to complete an electrical circuit including one of the motors 65 or 5B when the linger 82 is in a central or neutral position the motor will remain idle and the shaft which is driven thereby to move one of the arms will not rotate. However, upon movement of the cloth in either direction, that is toward or away from the finger 82, the linger will be moved by the cloth or by spring 3ft to cause a circuit to be completed through one or the other of the contact plates 92 or 94 to complete a circuit for driving the motor in forward or reverse directions whereby the shaft connected thereto will be rotated in a direction to move the arm so that it will follow the cloth. When the motor is energized it will continue to operate and move the arm connected thereto until the cloth permits or causes the finger 82 to move back to its neutral position. The arm will then remain in its new position until the cloth has again shifted to cause the motor to be operated again and the shaft rotated to move the arm in one direction or another.

Each arm is thus controlled s0 that it will move to follow the edge of the cloth with which it is associated and the gripping members on the chains therefore will always be presented so as to engage the cloth adjacent its edge. Moreover, after the cloth is once gripped the movement of the chains longitudinally from the free ends of the arms toward the stationary portion 0f the sections causes the edges of the cloth to be drawn into parallel positions so that they are properly aligned for tacking purposes.

The upper faces 86 of the control members are located above the gripping members or pins 8 and i6 whereby the cloth passing from the faces 86 is located above the pins but is positioned to be pressed downward so as to be penetrated by the pins by means of the wire brushes or other pressing members 96. The cloth is thus firmly gripped and directed as it moves toward the stationary portions of the sections.

On approaching the opposite end of the stationary portion of each section the chain and pins are depressed by the downwardly inclined surfaces 98 of the chain guiding strips 40 to withdraw the pins from the cloth. The cloth in turn is raised from the pins by passing over the rollers llli4 mounted on a bracket |62 secured to the stationary portion of the upper and lower sections of the device. After passing over the rollers l D0 the edges of the cloth pass beneath a roller i011 vcarried on an arm IOS and are thus accurately aligned and are brought into contact so that they pass to the tacker in proper position for performing the tacking operation.

In order to prevent the overlapping or folded portions of material at the ends of successive lengths of cloth from passing to the tacker the device also includes a means for moving the cloth away from the tacker when these portions approach the tacker. For thispurpose the cloth moving from the roller |02 to the tacker 2 passes beneath the overhanging plate |08 of a rotatable member H0. The member ||0 is provided with an eccentric element l2 which is formed to move the edge of the cloth from the tacking position indicated by the line A in Fig. 7 to the displaced position indicated by the line B, upon rotation of the member I I0 in a counter clockwise direction.

The member ||0 is caused to rotate in a counter clockwise direction by means of the foot ||4 carried by the spring pressed arm IIB mounted on the stationary portion 22 of the upper section of the device. The foot ||4 is pivotally mounted at ||8 and the heel I 20 thereof is so formed that upon passage of a thick folded or overlapping portion of the cloth beneath the foot, the heel will be engaged and the foot rotated to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6. The toe |22 of the foot is thus raised and serves to pull on the cable |24 which passes beneath a stationary roller |26 and is connected to the member ||0 at |28.

The folded portion of the cloth in moving past the foot ||4 thereby serves to rotate the member |0 and shifts the edges of the cloth from the u tacking position of line A to the disengaged position of line B so that the folds in the cloth will not pass to the tacker.

The cloth is returned to the tacking position oi line A by means of a similar foot |30 mounted on an upright |32 carried by the supporting plate |34. The foot |30 is provided with a cable |36 which passes over the roller |38 and is connected to the member I I0 so that upon movement of the folded portion of the cloth past the foot |30 the member ||0 is turned in a clockwise direction and the eccentric element ||2 is restored to the full line position of Fig. 7 to allow the cloth again to move to the tackingposition of line A as it is pulled through the device.

With this construction the device performs all of the operations heretofore performed by hand and the cloth can be pulled or passed through the device at any desired speed. Moreover, the operations are all performed positively and with certainty so that delays and accidents due to the limitations of the operator are eliminated from the system.

In using the apparatus described additional safety features can also be provided. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a control switch may be located at |40 and actuated by an arm |42 which is yieldably urged against the upper layer of the folded cloth. When the end of a length of cloth has passed the arm |42, or in the event the cloth should not be received and held by the gripping members for any reason, the arm |42 will move downward by gravity or otherwise to actuate switch |40 and cause the movement of the cloth to be stopped or cause an alarm or signal lamp to be energized.

In a like manner means may be provided to give a signal or alarm in the event the tacker should run out of thread or fail to tack the cloth properly for any other reason. As shown, this may be accomplished by providing a member |44 which is pivotally mounted at |46 and has a free end |48 which acts as a feeler and is urged by a spring |50 against the tacked portion of the cloth beyond the taoker 2. The opposite end of member |44 is connected to a switch |52 to cause a sigl to left from a folder or the like to means which pull the cloth through the device described. The upper layer of the folded cloth passes over the face 86 of the control means 18 and beneath the weighted plate 88 with the edge of the cloth in contact with the nger v82. The cloth then passes beneath the brush 96 which presses the edge of the cloth downward into contact with the pins 8 carried by the chain |0 on the upper section of the device. The edge of the lower layer of the folded cloth is similarly passed over the upper face of the control means carried by the lower arm 30 and is pressed against the pins I6 on the lower chain I8.

The cloth in being drawn through the device in contact with the lingers 82 holds the lingers in a neutral position as long as the edges of the cloth are in alignment as they approach the device. However, if either edge of the cloth is displaced it will serve to complete a contact through either one or the other of the contact plates 92 or 94. As soon as such a contact is made the motor 66 or 68 will be energized to rotate the shaft 10 or 'I2 to move the free end of the arm 24 or 30 so that it will follow the edge of the cloth until the nger 82 has again been restored to its neutral position. The free ends of the arms 24 and 32 are thus actuated as to insure gripping of the edges of the cloth by the gripping members or pins in either correct or displaced positions of the cloth. The edges of the cloth are then moved with the gripping members longitudinally of the arms to the aligned hinges 26 and 32 and the edges then travel in parallel and aligned relationalong the stationary portions of the sections.

On reaching the opposite end of the stationary sections the edges of the cloth are disengaged from the pins or gripping members and are brought into contact and passed beneath the roller |04. The aligned and contacting edges of the cloth then pass beneath the edge of plate |08 on the member ||0 and in contact with the eccentric element ||2. The edges of the cloth are thus located as indicated by the line A in Fig. 7 and are presented to the tacker 2 in aligned positions for proper tacking of the edges of the cloth. Y

When an overlapping or folded portion connecting successive lengths of cloth, approaches the tacker it engages the heel |20 of the foot ||4 and causes the toe of the foot to be raised thereby turning the member I0 so that the eccentric element ||2 will displace the edges of the cloth and move them from the tacking position to the displaced position indicated by the line B so that the folded portions will not be tacked. Thereafter when the folded portions reach the foot |30 they actuate the foot to return the member ||0 to the original tacking position of Fig. 7 and the edges ofthe cloth'are again presented to the tacker in the proper aligned positions4 for tacking. The return of the cloth to the tacking 7 position is assured by pulling the cloth through the device.

In the event the cloth is not properly gripped by the gripping members or should be disengaged from the pins the arm |42 of the control switch |48 which normally engages the cloth will be allowed to move downward to the dotted line position of Fig. 1 and cause an alarm or signal to be actuated and the mechanism stopped to prevent improper tacking of the cloth. Furthermore, if the tacker should run out of thread or should fail to tack the cloth properly the member Hifi adjacent the tacker will move outward so as to actuate the switch |52 and give the desired alarm or stop the operation so that the tacker may be replenished with thread or the failure of the mechanism corrected.

The safety devices described and shown may be omitted or altered in form and other types of gripping and control means may be used if desired. Moreover, the invention is not limited to its operation in aligning the edges of cloth but may be employed in handling and aligning other materials and may be used in combination with various other devices and in other industries. These and other changes and modifications may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the elements employed and in the methods of operating devices embodying my invention. In view thereof it should be understood that the particular form of my invention herein shown and described is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of my invention.

I claim:

l. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, and means responsive to the displacement oi the edges of said layers for moving gripping members engaging different layers of material into alignment.

2. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, supports for said gripping members, means for moving said supports upc-n displacementJ of the edges oi said material, and means for moving gripping members engaging different layers of material into alignment.

3. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, supports for said gripping members, means comprising elements engageable by the edges of said layers of material for moving said supports upon displacement of said edges, and means for moving gripping members engaging different layers of material into alignment.

'l. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with said material and movable therewith, parallel guides for the gripping members which engage diierent layers of material and means movable in response to displacement of the edges of said layers of material for directing said gripping members to said parallel guides on movement of said members with said layers of material.

5. A device for aligning the' edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageabie with each layer of material and movable therewith, parallel guides for said gripping members, and guides movable in response to displacement of the edges of said layers' of mate- S rial terminating adjacent said parallel guides for directing said gripping members to said parallel guides on movement of said members with said layers of material.

6. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers or material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, parallel guides for the gripping members which engage diierent layers of material, movable guides for directing said gripping members tosaid parallel guides, and means for moving said movable guides -on displacement of the edges of said layers of material.

7. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, parallel guides for the gripping members which engage different layers of material, movable guides for directing said gripping members to said parallel guides, elements engageable by the edges of material which are to be aligned, and means controiled by said elements for moving said movable guides upon displacement of the edges of the material to be aligned.

8. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable Iwith each layer of material and movable therewith, chains by which said gripping members are carried, stationary members carrying sprockets about which said chains pass and having parallel guide means thereon for holding the portions of said chains and gripping members adjacent thereto in parallel relation, movable arms pivotally connected to said stationary members and having sprockets thereon about which said chains pass, said arms having guide means thereon for directing the chains and gripping members toward said stationary guides to align the edges of the material engaged by said gripping members.

9. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer1 of material and movable therewith, chains by which said gripping members are carried, stationary members carrying sprockets about Which said chains pass and having parallel guide means thereon for holding the portions of said chains and gripping members adjacent thereto in parallel relation, movable arms pivotally connected to said stationary members and having sprockets thereon about which said chains pass, said arms having guide means thereon for directing the chains and gripping members toward said stationary guides to align the edges of the material engaged by said gripping members, and means for moving the free ends of said arms upon displacement of said edges ofsaid material.

l0. A device for aligning the edges of traveling layers of material comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, chains by which said gripping members are carried, stationary member carrying sprockets about which said chains pass and having parallel guide means thereon for holding the portions of said chains and gripping members adjacent thereto in parallel relation, movable arms pivotally connected to said stationary members and having sprockets thereon about which said chains pass, said arms having guide means thereon for directing the chains and gripping members toward said stationary guides to align the edges of the material engaged by said gripping members, elements carried by said arms and engageable by the edges of the material to be aligned and means controlled by said elements for moving the free ends of said arms upon displacement of said edges of the material.

l1. In combination with a tacker for securing the edges of layers of cloth together, means for aligning said edges as they are moved to the tacker including gripping members engageable with each layer of cloth in advance of said tacker and movable therewith toward the tacker and guide means movable in response to displacement of said layers of material for directing said gripping members into aligned positions on movement thereof.

12. In combination with a taclier for securing the edges of layers of cloth together, means for aligning said edges as they move vto the tacker comprising gripping members engageable with the cloth adjacent the edges to be aligned and movable With the cloth as it moves toward the tacker, means for connecting those gripping members Which engage the same layer of cloth, guide means for said connecting means located adjacent the tacker and arranged in parallel relation, and means pivotally connected to said guide means and spaced from said tacker for directing said connecting means and gripping members toward said guide means.

13. In combinatioin with a tacker for securing the edges of layers of cloth together, means for aligning said edges as they move to the tacker comprising gripping members engageable with the cloth adjacent thD edges to be aligned and movable with the cloth as it moves toward the tacker, means for connecting those gripping members which engage the same layer of cloth,

guide means for said connecting means located adjacent the tacker and arranged in parallel relation, and arms spaced from said tacker and pivotally mounted adjacent said guide means for supporting a portion of said connecting means, the free ends of said arms being movable to follow the edges of the cloth on displacement thereof.

14. In combination with a tacker for securing the edges of layers of cloth together, means for aligning said edges as they move to the tacker comprising gripping members engageable with the cloth adjacent the edges to be aligned and movable with the cloth as it moves toward the tacker, means for connecting those gripping members which engage the same layer of cloth, guide means for said connecting means located adjacent the tacker and arranged in parallel relation, arms space-d from said tacker and pivotally mounted adjacent said guide means for supporting a portion of Said connecting means, the free ends of said arms being movable to follow the edges or the cloth on displacement thereof, and means connected to said arms for moving the same upon displacement of the edges of the cloth. 15. In combination with a tacker for securing the edges of layers of cloth together, means for aligning said edges as they move to the tacker comprising gripping members engageable with the cloth adjacent the edges to be aligned and movable with the cloth as, it moves toward the tacker, means for connecting those gripping members which engage the same layer of cloth, guide means for said connecting means located adjacent the tacker and arranged in parallel relation, arms spaced from said tacker and pivotally mounted adjacent said guide means for supporting a portion of said connecting means, the free ends of said arms being movable to follow the edges of the cloth on displacement thereof,

means connected to said arms for moving the same upon displacement of the edges of the cloth, and elements engageable by the edges of the cloth contro-lling movement 0f said arms.

16. In combination with a tacker, means for aligning edges of layers of cloth being advanced to the tacker, means for locating said edges in position to be tacked by the tacker, and means actuated by raised folds in the cloth for displacing the edges of the lcloth with respect to the tacker Whenl said folds approach the tacker.

17. In combination with a tacker, means for aligning edges of layers of cloth being advanced to the tacker, means for locating said edges in position to be tacked by the tacker, means actuated by raised folds in the cloth for displacing the edges of the cloth with respect to the tacker when said folds approach the tacker, and means for returning said edges of the clotliL to said position to be tacked.

18. In combination with a tacker, mechanism for controlling the position of the edges of layers of cloth being moved to the tacker comprising means for gripping the edges of said layers, means located in advance of the tacker for moving said gripping means to align said edges, and means actuated by raised folds of cloth in said layers for displacing said folds with respect to said tacker.

19. A device for aligning the edges of'traveling layers of material, comprising gripping members engageable with each layer of material and movable therewith, endless chains carrying said gripping members, stationary members having means thereon for holding said chains and gripping members in parallel position, movable arms pivotally connected to said stationary members and having guide means thereon to direct the chains and gripping members toward said stationary members, and means for moving said arms to follow the edges of the material in response to the displacement of said edges, comprising movable linger elements carried by said arms and urged toward the edges of said material and a reversible motor associated with each movable arm for controlling the movement of said arms and responsive to the movements of said fingers.

20. In combination With a tacker, mechanism for controlling the position of the edges of layers of cloth being moved to the tacker, comprising means for gripping the edges of said layers, means located in advance of the tacker for moving said gripping means to align said edges, and means actuated by raised folds of cloth in said layers for displacing said folds with respect to said tacker, comprising control elements located in advance of the tacking position actuated by said raised folds, eccentric elements to move edges containing said raised folds from the tacking position, and connecting means between the control elements, and means for returning said edges of material to the proper tacking position.

2l. A device for arranging the edges of traveling layers of sheet material in predetermined relation, comprising gripping members engageable with the material of each layer and movable therewith, control means engageable with said layers and responsive to displacement of the edges thereof, and means actuated by said control means for moving said gripping members to arrange the edges of said layers in said predetermined relation.`

JOSEPH H. ROY` 

